Hidden Acrimony
by Ludicrous Legacy
Summary: Zero loves Yuuki, more than he can say, but with that idiot Kuran ruining everything, how will he ever let her know? One-shot, Zero x Yuuki. PLEASE R&R!


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Heh heh. I'm back! With my first Zeki! w00t!

_Anyway, as always, I don't own Vampire Knight, Kiryuu Zero or Kuroso Yuuki. If I did, Kaname wouldn't exist and Yuuki and Zero would make out. A lot. All the time :P_

_Also, yeah, I AM a Kaname-hater. Well, not hater hater. I like everyone else more, that's all :P anyways, moving on...._

_**Hidden Acrimony**_

_**A Vampire Knight FanFic by Lyana the High Mage**_

_Why? _

It was a question Kiryuu Zero asked himself every day of his life. Every time he remembered the things he had lost; his parents, his brother, his humanity. He asked himself every time he passed a mirror and caught a glimpse of the tattoo stamped across his neck, every time he heard the gentle clinking from the Bloody Rose's chain, which was hidden in his school jacket. He asked himself every time he thought of the vampires he loathed, the ones who both pitied and feared what he had become; what he _would _become, despising both himself and them….

_Why?_

It was a question he asked himself every time he saw Yuuki, every time his eyes traveled involuntarily to the pulse that beat faintly in her neck, or recalled how it felt to sink his fangs into her skin, to suck the life out of her…

He hated himself.

He hated what he was doing to her, hated how much he needed her blood, hated the way he lusted after her…but most of all…he hated how she forgave him so easily.

What he wished, what he truly wanted from the bottom of his heart, was that one day he would be able to make her happy. To see her smile unguardedly, without reserve. He wanted so badly to take away all her worries and pain, because despite all that had happened between them—or maybe because of it—he loved her.

_Love. _He thought scathingly. _Yes, I love her. But with that stupid Kuran in the picture, how will I ever let her know?_

Zero glanced down at his hands, clenching them into tight fists. How often, he wondered, had he wrapped his arms around Yuuki's slender, petite body and dipped his head to plunge his fangs into her neck? And in all those times, how many had actually begun as attempts to kiss her? How many times had his heart burst in jealousy when he saw her with Kuran Kaname?

_Kuran Kaname. _The pureblood vampire who loved Yuuki, who she loved back. The stupid, arrogant, conceited bastard who manipulated people for his own purposes, who didn't give a damn what happened to anyone so long as he got his own way. The condescending, self-centered jerk who pretended he knew all the answers, and could solve all the problems…also the one person who would truly love Yuuki the way she deserved. The one who would protect her, cherish her…who would never hurt her the way he was hurting her now…

Zero moaned and buried his face in his hands, yet the moment his eyes shut, Yuuki's face swam into view before him. She was unbuttoning the collar of her shirt with one hand, sweeping the hair off her neck with the other. "Drink, Zero." She said softly, tilting her head back so that her neck was fully exposed. "I know you need this. I see it in your eyes."

_STOP! _Zero thought desperately, but Yuuki kept coming closer. Her eyes were filled with fear, and already they began to fill in preparation for the pain to come, but still she leaned towards him. "It's okay." She whispered. "I'm okay. I want to do this for you, Zero. I want to _help _you…"

"NO!" Zero yelled, opening his eyes as fast as he could. Breathing heavily, he got to his feet and yanked his bedroom window open, stepping out lightly onto the windowsill and leaping to the ground, running as soon as he hit the floor. He didn't know where he was going, or what he was going to do when he got there. All he knew was that he had to get as far away as everything from possible….

_Yuuki…_

* * *

Kuroso Yuuki sighed and rolled over onto her back. Try as she might, she couldn't sleep. She knew that she would regret it come morning, when she fell asleep in class, but for now she didn't care. All she could think about was Zero.

She wondered if he was okay. Just that morning, he had completely ignored her when he walked into class. He hadn't spoken to her all day either, not during recess, or during lunch, and not even when they reported for prefect duty. He hadn't even said good night to her before going to bed. At the best of times, Zero could be rather cold, downright icy, really, but today was different. He had never ignored her like this, not since their arguments as children.

She wondered what she possibly could have done to deserve this sort of treatment. She racked her brains, trying to think of a reason for his anger, but she came up with nothing.

_It's not nothing. _A little voice nagged at the back of her head. _It's because of your obsession with Kaname-senpai. He's angry because he thinks you're too infatuated with him._

_**Shut up. **_She told herself sternly. _**I'm not infatuated with him. I admire him greatly and think he is a very nice, polite person, and I'm grateful to him for saving my life. That's all.**_

_Oh, come on, Yuuki. _The voice scoffed. _You may be able to lie to others, but you can never lie to yourself._

She grunted softly and turned over onto her side. _I don't know what the hell is up with you, Zero. _She thought. _But if it's me, I'm sorry. If it's not, please tell me. A pain shared between two people is halved. Let me carry this burden with you._

With that, her eyes fluttered closed, and she lost herself in dreams of Kaname kneeling at her feet, declaring undying love for her, while an angry Zero watched her from the shadows with his Bloody Rose pointed straight at her heart….

* * *

_Yuuki…_

Zero's eyes burned red as he stared up at her bedroom window. With his heightened senses he could almost taste her presence, like she was standing right beside him. He knew that he was only hurting himself by hanging around here, but he couldn't resist the temptation. He was as close as he was comfortable with being to her, yet it still wasn't enough. Yet he did not dare go any closer, because he didn't know what he was capable of…especially not in this state….

_Yuuki…_ He thought, closing his eyes. _Yuuki…._

Suddenly feeling sick, he let out an agonized howl and fled, running away from the dorm as fast as he could, unable to bear even the thought of being near her.

_Yuu…ki…_

_* * *_

Yuuki's eyes snapped open as a piercing shriek suddenly tore through the night. _Zero? _She thought desperately, leaping out of bed and flying towards the window. "Yuuki-chan?" Yori asked sleepily. "Who just screamed?"

"I don't know!" Yuuki replied worriedly, tearing open the curtains and gazing out into the night. Yori followed her to the window, and the two girls gazed out onto the school grounds concernedly, but there was no one there. Yuuki scanned the forsaken grounds quickly three times, but there was no sign of any presence. Yet she felt certain that the scream just uttered had been Zero's, just as surely as she knew that somehow, _she _had been the cause of his discomfort….

Presently, Yuuki felt Yori's hand grasp hers. "It was probably some sort of animal or something." Yori squeezed her friend's hand gently. "Come on. Let's go back to bed." She urged.

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Yuuki's gaze lingered on the empty grounds a second more before she turned away from the window. "Good night, Yori." She murmured. Her friend murmured a reply before drifting back to sleep, but Yuuki remained wide awake, staring aimlessly into the darkness.

_Zero…._

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ALL RIIIIIIIIIGHT! You know what to do! Reviews are love :D LOVE ME Y'ALL!!!!

And yeah, I do accept criticism, flames, requests, whatever. Thanks for reading! I LOVE YOU!

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